NEW AND IMPROVED, WITH AN ACTUAL PLOT!

I do NOT own Castle.

Warning: Hallow has never been to Hawaii, nor does she have any clue at all what Hawaii is actually like. The place described here is probably nothing like the actual place, it's a fantasy placed dreamed up by a fangirl with an overactive imagination that was getting way too much snow and really wished she could teleport to this place I have named Hallow's Fantasy Hawaii.

Kate Beckett lounged lazily in her hammock on the deck of the beach house that her family was lucky enough to own for generations. The house itself was set on one of the many small islands a short distance away from the mainland, and was connected to the main land, and other surrounding houses, by various wooden walkways over the shallower parts of the ocean.

The sound of the small waves heading under the deck was a peaceful sound, nearly lulling the vacationing detective into sleep as she basked in the plentiful rays of sunlight, and the gentle breeze that kept it from being too hot. Until her phone started ringing, startling her and nearly making her topple from the hammock into the three feet of water below, but she caught herself just in time.

"Beckett?"

"Girl, you're on vacation and you still answer your phone like that?"

"Lanie? Why are you calling me? You're supposed to be on a plane right now."

"Do you even know what time it is?"

Beckett didn't even bother looking at the clock on her phone, opting to estimate the time instead. "Like around three?"

"It's five and we've already landed. Get your little ass over here and pick us up, the locals are looking at us funny and it's creeping me out."

Apparently she had fallen asleep for a little bit because the last time she had looked at the clock, it was only almost two-thirty. "Right, be right there."

She hung up on Lanie and quickly climbed her way out of the hammock, stuck her head through the open doorway of the beach house to grab the keys, then took off at a run down the series of wooden walkways to get to the mainland where the SUV she had borrowed was. She was just passing the house closest to her when someone called her name in shock.

"Beckett?"

"Hi Castle, bye Castle." She gave him a wave and continued on her way, knowing that if she didn't get to the airport to pick up Lanie, Esposito, Ryan, and Jenny soon, Lanie might kill her for being later than she already was.

"Dad? Oh, I thought I heard you talking to someone out here." Alexis said as she came out of the beach house behind Castle, watching as her father just stood there staring at the place he had seen the detective.

"Dad? Hey, dad... Anyone alive in there?" She said, gently tapping his head to get his attention.

"Huh? Oh sorry pumpkin..."

"What's up?"

"I'm not really sure, but I think I just saw Beckett run by..."

"Really dad? We've only been on this book tour for a few weeks now and you are already missing her that much? Come on, we only got here last night, let's go explore! It'll help take your mind off Detective Beckett."

"Right... Where to first?"

After a through lecture on the importance of not being late to pick up your friends when you invite them on vacation with you, Beckett and the rest of the group were in the car and headed back to the beach house.

"You know, an SUV isn't what I really pictured when you think of Hawaiian transportation." Esposito said from his position in the back of the van with Ryan and Jenny, since the last row of seats were full with the luggage they had brought.

"Yeah well, I knew you guys would haul way too much stuff down here, it wouldn't have all fit in the jeep I usually use while I'm here."

"While you're here? I don't mean to pry, Detective, but does that mean you come here often? And thank you for inviting me, by the way." Jenny spoke up, curious about the female detective she had heard so much about from Ryan.

"My great grandpa bought some land here a long time ago and it's been in the family ever since. My mom, my dad, and I used to come here every summer, even when I was in college, but this is the first year I've been here in a while though. And you're welcome, but please, call me Kate. There's no need to call me detective while we are on vacation."

"Says the person who still answers the phone like she's on call." Lanie didn't even give her a chance to reply to that before she started talking again. "So? Found Writer Boy yet? And don't even try to deny it, we know you decided on this whole vacation thing only after you found out he was going to be here for ten days while on this all summer long book tour of his."

Beckett glanced into the rear view mirror to see that Ryan and Esposito were both giving her knowing looks.

"As a matter of fact, I did."

"And? Was he shocked you were here?"

"I don't know."

"You... Don't know?" Lanie gave her a look that clearly said she wasn't buying it.

"Yup, I kinda passed him on the way to pick up you guys."

"So you didn't even talk to him?"

"I said 'hi'."

"Oh lord, I have my work cut out for me." Beckett didn't have time to question what Lanie meant by that because they were pulling up at the parking space and it was time to get out of the car and inform the group that they had to carry their luggage all the way to the beach house.